More Than Meets the Eye
by Sailor Elysia
Summary: Usagi and Mamoru have been married for several years now and their life is almost perfect. If it weren't for the little fact that hinders Mamoru from seeing his wife the way she wished he could, then everything would be perfect. Maybe.
1. one

"Oh, Mamo-chan, let me help you with that." Usagi came up from behind her husband and retied his crooked tie for him. She also picked up the comb and straightened out the part in his soft black hair. This was all routine to her now, never stopping to think twice about it. 

Mamoru smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Usako. What would I ever do without you?"

She reached up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Probably trip over your own two feet."

He groaned. "Usa, I do that anyway."

She chuckled softly. "I know, but I like having to catch you in my arms. It's definitely a turn around from the normal, wouldn't you say?" He smiled again, his hand grazing across her cheek, a thumb running over her lips lightly. He still didn't understand how she could be so tolerant with him.

Usagi glanced at him suspiciously. "You're sure you'll be all right?"

Mamoru picked up his coat from its usual place on the coat rack beside the front door of the apartment, and reached over to give his wife a quick kiss. "Usako, I somehow managed to get along before I ever met you, and even though I do better when you're with me, this appointment with the doctor shouldn't be very long. I should be back within a half an hour." He grabbed the dog's harness, and opened the door, but stopped and turned back as he heard the sudden rustling of a raincoat behind him. "Usa? What are you doing?"

She linked herself onto his arm firmly. "Something tells me that I should go with you, Mamo-chan. I know that you are perfectly capable of getting there by yourself, and even though you have Kage with you, I would feel better if I was there with you too. Besides, I want to know what's so important that the doctor has to call you in so suddenly."

Mamoru began to protest, but then he realized she was right. And Usagi was usually right in situations like this.

There was nothing really different how their day began. Chiba Mamoru and his wife, Usagi, went about the same routines most every day. However, in their relationship, a few things differed from what you might call "normal." Ever since he was seven years old, Chiba Mamoru had been blind, from the same car accident that had taken his parents and part of his memory away from him forever.

The two of them walked arm in arm, hands intertwined in the light rain down the busy streets of Azabu with Kage plodding at her husband's side. As they strolled down the walk to the business district, Usagi began to recall times before, just a few years ago, in fact, when she had been walking down this very street, wishing happier times were in store for her.

----------

With her school bag slung limply over her shoulder, and two extremely long blond pigtails dragging limply behind her, Tsukino Usagi walked slowly out the front doors of Juuban High. She glanced down the long road that led back to her home in Minato-ku, and heaved a huge sigh.

It had been another hard day at school. For starters, Usagi woke up late--something she hadn't done since junior high--shot out of her house without breakfast amidst the tauntings of her little brother Shingo, nearly ran her father over as she sprinted out the door, and made it to the school gate just as the second tardy bell finished ringing. Haruna-sensei (who had somehow followed Usagi to teach in the high school) was not happy with her student's behavior, no matter how much she seemed to improve. She forced Usagi to stand out in the hallway for fifteen minutes holding two very full buckets of water.

Her arms were still sore. She switched her bag back and forth from hand to hand, trying to relieve the stress on her shoulders. Even though it was nearly five o'clock in the afternoon, she could still feel those fifteen minutes like they had just happened. Usagi groaned as her stomach rumbled loudly, a reminder of her hastily-eaten lunch, not to mention the fact she devoured more than half of it during morning classes. Well, there was always dinner. She smiled happily at the thought of her mother's cooking.

She stopped suddenly to stare at the doors of the Crown Game Parlor, which she always passed on her walk to and from school. 'Of course, there's always time for a game or two,' Usagi thought, and she watched with a grin as the automatic doors slid open.

"So, Usagi-chan, how are things going for you in school?" Motoki asked as he placed the chocolate milkshake in front of her.

Usagi hung her head in humiliation. "Oh, Motoki-onii-san, it's just not fair! I thought I studied hard enough, but nothing seems to help. I'll never understand geometry. Why did they have to put all these letters, lines and shapes with the numbers? It doesn't make any sense to me! And this being the last year high school only puts more pressure on me." She slipped the straw into her mouth and downed half the milkshake quickly.

Motoki looked at her in sympathy. "Usagi-chan, maybe you should get a tutor."

"Tried that. I've gone through three different tutors already, and none of them helped me to understand anything!" She crumpled the math test and placed it beside her school bag lying on the counter. "Well, Usagi-chan, try your other remedy for bad test grades. That always seems to boost your spirits," Motoki said with a grin.

Usagi slowly looked up from her empty glass, and glanced over at the row of arcade games on the left side of the room. The chair in front of the 'Sailor V' game-her favorite-sat empty; waiting for a willing and eager soul to pop in a few tokens and begin a new game.

She grinned mischievously and slid off her stool in excitement. Rushing over to the video game before anyone else had a chance to beat her to it, she plopped down on the chair, pushed two tokens into the slot, and proceeded to lose herself in the world of Sailor V once more.

After her tenth consecutive game and passing her own high score three times, Usagi was out of tokens, and out of money. Deciding that it was probably time to go, she stretched her arms high over her head, and got up to say goodbye to Motoki. As she reached the counter where her school bag was still sitting, Usagi the clock on the wall noticed out of the corner of her eye. Its hands were pointing to a quarter to seven, almost an hour later than her mother usually had dinner ready. Usagi's eyes widened in shock at the late hour, and she began packing her bag hastily. She slung it over her shoulder quickly, then turned to run out the door.

WHAP! Books, loose papers and other items flew everywhere as Usagi's body made contact with that of someone just entering the arcade. Both Usagi and the golden retriever by the man's side let out a yelp as she fell over the large dog and hit the floor with a thud, wincing as the pain shot through her tailbone.

"Oh! I didn't see you coming," Usagi exclaimed to the man and his dog that had somehow survived the collision and were still in one piece. She scrambled to pick up her scattered belongings.

"I'm very sorry. We certainly didn't see you either," the man replied with a chuckle, as he listened to a sweet yet very frantic voice apologizing. "But there's no harm done." Usagi blushed, stuffed everything back into her bag, mumbled another hurried apology, and ran out the door.

Mamoru crouched down and patted Kage's head. From the way that the dog was breathing, he noticed he held something in his mouth. Gently as not to startle Kage, he reached down, and took the object from his mouth. "What did you find Kage-chan?" he whispered in the canine's ear. Mamoru's fingers felt around the rectangular object. "A tape recorder?" he thought. "It must belong to that girl."

He slowly slid onto his usual stool, the dog obediently laying down at the foot of it. From the noises he heard from behind the counter, he knew exactly who was working that day. "Konnichi wa, Motoki," Mamoru replied to his closest friend. Motoki grinned, put down the mug he was drying and turn to greet his friend on the other side of the counter. "Yo, Mamoru. Been wondering if you were going to come in today. How's your day been? Can I get you your usual?"

Mamoru nodded. "Not much different than other days, except I didn't walk into any lampposts like I did last week." He grimaced as he recalled that eventful day. Turning his mind to other things, his fingers lightly ran over the recorder now concealed in his jacket pocket. "Motoki, who was that girl that shot out of here just a few minutes ago?"

Motoki chuckled lightly. "The one who tripped over Kage? That was Usagi-chan. She's a regular around here like you, mostly for ice cream and video games. She's like another little sister to me. I think she's a year younger than Unazuki."

"She's 17?" Mamoru echoed. Motoki turned 20 three months ago, and being six months younger than him, Mamoru still looked up to him occasionally. He had, after all, been the first to befriend him. They became friends after Mamoru moved to an orphanage just outside of Azabu shortly after the accident. He enrolled in the local elementary school, and most of the children there had shunned him because of his differences. But not Motoki. By the end of the first week, he became his closest friend, his protector from the bullying kids, and his right hand as Mamoru learned to adjust to his new and often difficult world. It was so hard to believe that had been nearly 12 years ago.

"Almost," Motoki replied, breaking into Mamoru's thoughts. "Usagi-chan's 16, but her birthday's sometime at the end of next month, I think. You know, every time she comes in, no matter what she does, she brightens up everyone's day. Her sunny disposition shines out to everyone, and there's not been a day when I can be mad about something with her around. Today she was telling me about all her final projects, since she's about to graduate from high school in a few weeks. I can't believe how much she has to complete. Seems like it gets harder every year." He placed Mamoru's usual chocolate milkshake on the countertop.

Mamoru carefully picked up the glass, and took a big sip, letting the cool liquid run down his throat. "And you say she's here every day?" He wanted to find out more about this girl, not only to return her possession, but she sounded intriguing from the way Motoki described her.

Motoki took a drink from his own glass, now on a short break since the flow of customers was slow. "Yeah, most every day around three o'clock or so, depending if she gets a detention or not. Why do you ask, Mamoru? I've never seen you get so worked up over one person." Mamoru turned away, as was his nature to do so when someone tried to get too personal with him. Even with Motoki, he had always shut himself off when the situation became too touchy for him. Kage sensed his master's sudden discomfort and whimpered.

Mamoru knew it was time to go. He finished the rest of his milkshake, took hold of his dog's harness and leash and slid slowly off the stool, being careful to keep the tape recorder concealed in his pocket. "Don't worry about it, Motoki. I have to be going, see you around." He motioned to Kage again and walked out the front doors of Crown Parlor.

---------

Usagi was frantic. She hadn't missed dinner after all; Ikuko-mama was kind enough to save her a plate--even though it was cold and needed to be reheated several times to make it edible--but she shoved that aside as she searched her whole room. Her final project in language arts was due in three days, and she couldn't find her tape recorder anywhere.

Since Haruna-sensei assigned her class to keep a detailed journal during a month-long period, Usagi had the bright idea to record the day's events on tape, then transcribe them onto paper when she had the time. Now that she actually had the time, she couldn't find it.

"I know I couldn't have left it at school, I was sure I put it in my bag after class," she thought to herself as she ransacked her closet. Finding nothing in there, she turned back to the bed. Sticking her head under her bed, hoping against all hope that it might be there, Usagi found only dust and three pairs of mismatched socks she had lost last laundry day. Not a single trace of her recorder.

"Usagi, you baka! What are you doing? Hiding from the monster in your closet again?" came a taunting voice. The sudden sound startled Usagi and she yelped in pain as she hit the back of her head. She pulled herself out from beneath the bed and glared at the figure standing in the doorway, massaging her head as she did so. "Baka! You know better than to startle me like that!" She was met by his mocking laughter, which wasn't new. He was always trying to find some way to laugh at her. "And for your information, I was searching for my tape recorder. You haven't seen it, have you?" she asked him, an edge of suspiciousness creeping into her voice. It would be just like Shingo to pull a prank like that and hide her things, then watch with glee as she panicked to find them.

"What would I want with your stupid recorder?" Shingo retorted. "I have better things to do with my time than play with your things!" He stomped out of her room and down the stairs. Usagi sighed, and leaned back against her bed. Little brothers were such pains sometimes. She glanced around her bedroom a second time, having no clue where her recorder might be. And there was no way Haruna-sensei would accept any more of her excuses. What was she going to do now?

---------

Mamoru closed the door to his apartment behind him, unhooked Kage from his harness, and shuffled across the room to his old comfy couch. He knew he had found the sofa when he felt he familiar pain shoot through his foot after stubbing his toes on the leg of the couch like so many times before. Mamoru sank down onto the cushions and closed his weary eyes. Occasionally the bright lights of the day hurt and strained his eyes anyway, though he couldn't see it. He yawned loudly, and rolled over on his side to take a short nap, but a bulky object poked sharply into his side, waking him up completely.

Mamoru sat up, reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the object, knowing what it was right away. The nearly forgotten tape recorder, which belonged to the girl who had tripped over Kage earlier that day. The one who Motoki called Usagi-chan. Though their encounter had been very brief, Mamoru knew there was something about her, something he didn't recognize, but something very intriguing.

His fingers felt around for the playback button, but Mamoru stopped suddenly. His actions could really get him into a lot of trouble. It was, after all, an invasion of someone's privacy. But, he reasoned with himself, in order to find out more about Usagi, so he could return her possession, he had to listen to the tape. Finally, he ignored the guilt trip, and pressed the playback button.

"...It's been two and a half weeks since this project began, and not many exciting things have happened to me. I don't know what Haruna-sensei will expect from me, but I know one thing is for sure. She'll certainly be surprised when I hand this assignment in on time!"

Usagi's laughter rang in Mamoru's ears. The sweet sound of every word that came from her lips echoed in his mind, words that he knew he would never forget. He saw Usagi in a whole new light. He listened to her talk about each of her family members, all her friends at school, even how she felt about her bossy cat, Luna. He felt as if he understood her, and now, he wanted to get to know her even more.

The last journal entry, as Mamoru had come to find out the tape was, struck him so deeply that he rewound it and played it back to hear it a second time:

"Today in class, Haruna-sensei read us a quote by someone called Tennyson. It says something like, 'It is better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.' Pretty powerful, if you ask me. Of course, I don't know what love--true love, anyway--really is; I've never had the chance to experience it. You'd think that in my life, I would understand the happiness everyone else seems to enjoy."

The voice started to waver with emotion. "When will my turn come to feel that joy, that happiness that my friends seem to have every day? I have to be happy all the time because everyone expects it of me. But sometimes, I want more than just happiness. Some people say--mainly my father--I'm still too young to be thinking about something like this so seriously. But they're wrong. Can't a person just be loved, not for what they are, but for who they are? I've seen some of my friends, and what they've had to go through. I think I would rather have loved at least once, even live with the pain of heartache, than to have never experienced and understand love."

Mamoru was close to tears as the recorder shut off. Such strong words from such a little voice. In a way, he knew how she felt, having experienced many of the same feelings. All his life, all he had ever wanted was to be loved. He was sure that his parents had loved him, though he could not remember them now. He remembered the days of the orphanage, when couples seeking to adopt children showed interest in him and his heart would soar. But when they found out about his condition, he could always tell something had changed, even though he couldn't see their facial expressions clearly.

And so it had been that way most of his life. That day three years ago when he left the orphanage to attend a specialized school for the blind was a day of mixed emotions. Leaving behind the younger children who had become his friends was hard, but to finally be on his own was a chance he had waited for.

Sometimes Mamoru had wondered if his life was even worth living, but it always came back to one point: he survived that accident for a reason, and though many things had been taken from him, he knew there was a purpose for his life. And now, more than ever, he was determined to fulfill that purpose.

---------

Two days and counting. Usagi hated to remind herself of such a deadline, but without that recorder, her project would no more impress Haruna-sensei than another one of her daily excuses. And she needed a good grade in that subject to balance out the other grades she was expecting to receive. There was no way she could remember three weeks worth of journal entries.

"Motoki-onii-san, are you absolutely sure you didn't see my recorder lying around from the other day?" Usagi wailed for the fourth time that day, the desperation in her voice growing each time she asked.

Motoki glanced at his young blonde-haired friend from behind the counter. In all honesty, he wished he had found it so he could wipe the disappointed look from her face. "I'm sorry, Usagi-chan. I cleaned the arcade thoroughly last night, but I didn't see a tape recorder."

Usagi sighed and hung her head. "Thanks anyway Motoki. I guess I'll go search my house again, just in case I overlooked it." She gripped her schoolbag in her right hand, held back her tears of frustration, and walked toward the front doors of the arcade. "Could this week get any worse?" she muttered to herself.

Not watching as the automatic doors opened for her, Usagi suddenly found herself in a very familiar position--falling hard onto the floor. 'Opened my big mouth too soon,' she thought to herself. As she turned to look up at the person she had bumped into, she found herself face to face with--a cold, wet nose and furry snout?

With a small, surprised shriek, Usagi stared back into the face of a medium-sized golden retriever. 'Since when does Motoki allow animals into the arcade?' It appeared friendly enough, but Usagi knew looks were often deceiving. Like her younger brother's dislike of cats, she steered clear of any dog as often as possible. She shuddered as she remembered the big ugly dogs that used to live next door to her. As a little girl, they chased her down the block every time she stepped out of the house.

Usagi stood quickly and scrambled backwards in an attempt to get away from the animal. "Nice doggie," she sputtered, trying not to let her fear show. It didn't work. Each step she took back, the dog would advance on her, sniffing about her the entire time. Then, without warning, the dog leaped up. Usagi screamed, sure that the dog was about to attack her.

Her scream ripped through the air and turned the heads of nearly everyone in the arcade, including the two young men at the counter. Motoki surveyed the situation quickly, and grabbed his friend's shoulder. "Mamoru, I think you'd better go get Kage."

Mamoru raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Kage? Where is he? Isn't he sitting by me?"

"Actually, no. Right now, he's over in the corner, licking Usagi-chan to pieces!" Mamoru shook his head in exasperation, and got off his stool to go restrain Kage. His friend's words suddenly stuck out in his mind. "...licking Usagi-chan to pieces!" Looked like Kage had also taken a liking to the girl who had also captivated his master's attention. Mamoru felt a pang of jealousy for his dog, though he didn't understand why. At least Kage could see what Usagi looked like, while he could only rely upon her voice.

Mamoru got up from his seat, followed closely behind by Motoki, and pulled Kage away from the cowering girl in the corner. Motoki took Usagi by the arm, and looked into her eyes, brimming with tears. "Are you all right, Usagi-chan?"

She trembled momentarily, then looked up. "I'm fine. When did you start letting animals in to play video games, Motoki-onii-san?" she replied, trying to relieve the tension, and to calm herself down. He smiled back, releasing her arm. "Sorry, Usagi-chan. Kage here is normally mild mannered."

She glanced at the dog now being restrained by his owner. Usagi stared up at him, trying to get the man's attention, but with his dark glasses, he appeared to be looking anywhere but in her direction. "This has certainly been one interesting day. I'd love to stick around, but... I have to do something at home... yeah, that's it. Bye," she said as she left the arcade, shying away from the dog as much as possible.

----------

The next morning, Mamoru sat silently in his apartment, wondering more and more about Usagi. He felt bad that he kept running into her--well, Kage kept running into her anyway-and wanted to apologize for his dog's behavior, not to mention returning the tape recorder that rightfully belonged to her. But, as Motoki had mentioned to him her fear of dogs, he knew very well that it would be difficult to get her to stick around long enough to actually apologize to Usagi. So here he was, back at square one.

Kage whined softly from his position on the floor. Mamoru leaned over and ruffled the dog's fur playfully, knowing exactly what he wanted. "Wanna take a walk, Kage?" The dog, recognizing the word 'walk,' barked happily in response. Kage sat up and stretched, picked up his leash in his mouth, and dropped it in Mamoru's lap. Mamoru chuckled, and hooked the leash to the harness. Closing the door behind him, he suddenly stopped, went back in, and picked up the recorder from the coffee table where he had placed it the day before. "Just in case," he thought to himself. He put it in his pocket, and with a smile, closed the apartment door behind him.

They walked beneath the shade of the cherry trees lining the sidewalk, taking the shorter of the two routes from Mamoru's apartment to Juuban Park. The golden retriever knew this path very well; Mamoru brought him to the park at least twice a week to let him play around. As they entered the park through the northeast entrance, Kage stopped momentarily, smelling a familiar scent on the breeze. Without warning, the dog took off barking, following the scent's trail in earnest, and dragged his complaining master behind him.

Stumbling helplessly along, Mamoru wondered what was wrong with Kage. Normally the golden retriever was well-behaved; not even the occasional cat or squirrel that crossed his path made him act this way. He commanded him to stop several times, but to no avail. The dog ignored his master's objections for once and continued his pursuit.

Usagi quietly studied the area around her. Juuban Park was one of her favorite places to go to relax or think. Now that she had a specific purpose to think about, she sought out her favorite place in the entire park: the smooth wooden bench at the edge of the duck pond, in the northern end of the park. With only one day left before her project was due, and her original idea missing, she had do something to make up for it. She planned to write up a short story about her adventures of the last month, knowing that it wouldn't be the best, nor would it be perfect, but it was something to hand in, and Usagi couldn't let Haruna-sensei down now, not after all she had done to prove otherwise.

She leaned against the back of the bench, and closed her eyes, trying to collect her thoughts enough to make sense of them to write it all down. She let the various sounds of the park swirl around her; birds chirping amidst the branches of the tree behind her; the waves of the pond lapping against the shore; the barking dog...

Barking dog? Usagi's eyes snapped open. Sure enough, a dog--dragging its protesting master behind him--was headed straight for her! As Usagi squinted to get a better look at the animal, she recognized the dog as the same one that cornered her at the arcade. "Not again!" she moaned to herself. She yelped in shock, getting up to get out of the dog's path, but by then it was too late. The golden retriever and his wheezing owner had caught up to her.

That was enough. "Look," she snapped, "I don't know who you are, but I would appreciate it if you kept that dog away from me." She turned away from them, looking for another place where she could be alone.

Mamoru recognized Usagi's voice immediately, and not wanting to lose another chance to talk to her, he commanded Kage to sit, and was slightly amazed when he felt the dog do so. "Wait, Tsukino-san, please. I assure you he means no harm. Let me introduce ourselves. My name is Chiba Mamoru, and this," motioning to the dog lying in the shade by now, "is Kage."

Usagi was surprised and a little suspicious. "How did you know my name?" she questioned him, sitting back down on the bench, still wary of the dog lying at his feet.

Mamoru grinned. "We have a mutual friend. Motoki told me a little about you. And," he continued, reaching into his jacket pocket, "I think I have something that belongs to you." He held out her recorder in the direction of her voice.

Usagi gasped, and leaped up, staring at his hand. She took it slowly from his grasp, and turned it over and over in disbelief. She couldn't believe it, and turned back to Mamoru. "Thank you, Chiba-san, for returning this to me." She sat down again, and glanced at the tape, another idea coming to mind. "Did you...listen to any of it?"

He hesitated, then finally nodded in embarrassment. "I'm sorry I invaded your privacy." Usagi glanced at him again, then smiled softly. "Well, I suppose you had better call me Usagi, because you know so much about me now. It's not exactly fair, you know. You practically know my life story, yet I know nothing about you except that you have a dog that likes to chase me all over town." She patted the empty bench next to her. "Have a seat if you like, Chiba-san."

Mamoru's smile disappeared for a moment, then returned as he pulled Kage to a stand. "Help me find the bench, Kage," he whispered to the golden retriever. Kage padded over to the bench, and led his master to sit down in the empty space. He sighed loudly as he settled into the worn wooden seat.

Usagi watch with amusement, and confusion. Why had Mamoru needed the dog's help to get to a bench that was not three feet in front of him? Suddenly, it all came to her. The dark glasses, the aid of a dog... Usagi gasped in shock and her hand flew to her lips. Why hadn't she realized it before?

Mamoru looked in her direction. "Is something the matter, Usagi-chan?"

Her hand fell to her lap, and she fumbled for the right words to say. "Are you... sorry, I didn't know... what I mean to say is, um... are you blind?"

Mamoru chuckled lightly, realizing she would have figured it out sooner than later. "I am. And it's all right to talk about it. It doesn't bother me that much."

Usagi looked down at her hands, embarrassed at making such a big deal over it. "Um... how long have you... you know, been like that, Chiba-san?" She didn't mean for it to sound that way and was still pretty nervous asking him, but she relaxed at the sight of a smile on Mamoru's face.

"Call me Mamoru. You don't have to skirt around the subject like that, Usagi-chan. Like I said, it doesn't bother me. I've been blind since I was seven years old, and I think I'm pretty used to it by now. If you like, I'd be happy to tell you the rest of the story. You said so yourself that you didn't know anything about me, so now I'm giving you the chance."

She smiled in response. "I'd like that, Mamoru-san." Her lips curved upwards as she tried out his name. She liked the way it sounded, even tingled on her lips, and secretly hoped to have the chance to say it again and again.

---------

The rain began to come down hard again, and Usagi clutched the umbrella in one hand, and slipped her other into her husband's free hand. She enjoyed walking in the rain--with Mamoru especially--unless it turned into a thunderstorm. In those cases, she would refuse to step outside until she was sure it was over.

She giggled softly at all her memories as she relived them, finding it hard to believe sometimes how she could have ended up with such a wonderful man. Usagi squeezed Mamoru's hand in affection, causing him to look over in his wife's direction, wondering what all the commotion was about. "Usako, what's so funny?" he asked warmly, squeezing her hand to return the gesture.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he responded by wrapping his arm around her slim waist. "Oh, Mamo-chan, was just 'taking a walk down memory lane,' I guess. Do you remember the first time we met?"

Mamoru chuckled deeply. "Yes, how could I forget that? I still think it was Kage who really brought us together." The dog barked at hearing his name. "You turned out to be quite the matchmaker, didn't you?"

"You know, Usa, you never did tell me what you got on that assignment of yours after I gave back your recorder," Mamoru replied, lightly teasing his wife.

She poked him in the side. "I passed, and that's all you need to know."

Kage barked again, and Usagi realized they were at the doctor's office. She tugged on his arm. "We're here, Mamo-chan. Do you have any idea what he has to say to you?" He shook his head. "Not a clue. Last time I was here, he told me everything was all right. I don't know why he wanted me to come again so soon."

Usagi sighed deeply, nervous and excited all at the same time, though she didn't know why. "What are you waiting for, Mamo-chan? Let's go find out what's so important." She folded up the umbrella, walked out of the drizzling rain and into the large building.


	2. two

Finding the elevator shut down temporarily, Usagi sighed heavily, grumbled a few choice words under her breath and proceeded to guide Mamoru up the three long flights that led to Dr. Kenko's office. If it hadn't been so important, she would have gladly let Kage take him up the stairs, while she waited in the lobby. 

But when it came to matters like these, no amount of stairs could get in her way. Whatever Kenko-sensei had to say, it was going to be to both of them, Usagi thought as she gripped Mamoru's hand in hers and led him up the stairs so he wouldn't trip on them. Stair-tripping was not uncommon to Mamoru, and Usagi always tried to prevent his falls.

As they reached the first level, the threesome stopped for a moment. Mamoru turned his head to face Usagi, a small grin playing around the corners of his mouth. "Do you know what this reminds me of, Usako?"

"The last time you tripped on the stairs and almost fell back down to the bottom?"

He chuckled lightly. "That too, but I was thinking of something else. Remember the first time I came to your apartment? How Kage had to-"

"How Kage practically had to drag you up the last flight of stairs cause you were so tired after the last four? How could I forget? Honestly, Mamo-chan, I had no idea that the elevator would be out that day."

"That should have been a sign that you needed an apartment closer to the first floor," he shot back, enjoying this little game immensely.

Usagi slugged him playfully in the shoulder. "I was lucky enough to get that apartment when I did. I couldn't stand another moment staying in that house. With my parents--not to mention Shingo--getting on my case all the time about every single little thing I was doing, I couldn't stand it anymore."

Mamoru nodded his head in agreement. "No wonder you were reluctant for me to meet your parents that first time." Her head shot up. "You still remember that?" she cried out in dismay.

"How could I forget?"

Usagi sweatdropped momentarily, forgetting where she was until Mamoru was about to trip on the previous step. "And remember what all of that led to afterwards?"

He stopped on the stair, leaned over and gently kissed her on the cheek. "Now that is something that I will never forget. Never in a million years," he replied, making their way up the flight of stairs.

---------

Holding one bag of groceries in one arm, she reached into her pocket with her other hand, fumbled to put the key in the lock, and nudged the door open with her foot. "I don't know why you insisted to come up to my apartment. Didn't last time teach you anything, Mamoru-san?"

He grabbed her free hand from behind and squeezed it lightly. "But this time I had you to guide me and the elevator worked. There's a difference," he replied with a grin.

Usagi shook her head in exasperation, set the paper bag on the table, and turned around to shut the door. Suddenly a hissing and spitting noise was heard from the other side of the sofa. "Oh, Luna!" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "Don't get so overprotective. Mamoru won't bite." Usagi crossed the room over to the sofa and picked up a rather angry midnight colored cat by the scruff of her neck. "However, I'm not so sure about Kage," she grinned.

"I almost forgot you had a cat. You call her Luna?"

Usagi stepped back over to Mamoru and Kage, clutching a miffed Luna in her arms. She held the cat up so Mamoru could pet her. "I've had her ever since junior high. She has this thing with new people. Sometimes she can be such a overprotective feline."

"Don't worry, Kage likes cats," he said, motioning to the dog who had found a relaxing place by his master's feet.

Usagi raised an eyebrow. "For a meal, or for a friend?" she replied with a smirk.

He laughed. "Kage was trained to get along with other animals. As long as Luna doesn't antagonize him, he'll be fine."

Luna leaped from Usagi's arms and scampered into the bedroom. "Wonderful. She's going to sulk now and she won't let me live it down for the next week." She heaved a sigh, and went over to check for messages on her answering machine.

'Usagi dear, it's Mama. Why aren't you home, you know how I hate leaving messages on this thing. Your father and I wanted you to come home for dinner tonight, and we want you to bring along that friend of yours that you were telling us about. Love you, Usagi-chan.'

She turned back to find a slightly amused Mamoru standing behind her, who had caught the very last words of the message. "That was your mother? She sounds nice." Walking up to him, Usagi guided him over to the sofa and sat down next to him. "Mamoru-kun... I've told my parents a little about you, and they've been asking to meet you, Mama especially. She wants me to bring you for dinner tonight."

Mamoru raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Just your mother?" he asked teasingly.

"My father too. Shingo will most likely be out tonight, so you'll meet him another time. It's just that... well... Papa is still overprotective of me, and sometimes he's hostile towards friends I bring over. So I just want you to be prepared."

He scooted from his end of the couch to her end, and reached over to give her shoulders a warm squeeze. "And what about you, Usa? Do you want me to be there as well?"

Usagi leaned into his embrace and sighed softly. The sensations of his arms around her made her feel warm and tingly all over, and she hesitated for a moment before answering him. Could she really tell Mamoru the full truth? That she feared her family wouldn't accept him for the way he was? That in the worst case, they would forbid her to see him again?

This was all still very new to Usagi, and she wasn't completely sure of her feelings for Mamoru yet. But she was beginning to become comfortable enough with him that she wasn't about to give up this relationship without a fight, no matter what her parents said or did.

She placed her hand on his, which had slid down into his lap. "Mamoru-kun, I want you there more than anything. It's about time you meet the family I come from. I'm sure you've wondered more than once about the way I was raised, ne?"

Mamoru chuckled deeply at her response and rested his head on the back of the couch, leaving his arm around her. Being daring, Usagi lowered her head onto his shoulder and sighed softly again. She could feel his whole body tense up momentarily at the unfamiliar action, but then he relaxed and he settled comfortably next to her.

'If only time could stand still... I would give everything up just to stay right here forever...' they both thought, unaware of their similar thoughts. Not wanting to lose the sweetness of the moment, neither Usagi nor Mamoru made to move from where they sat.

---------

'Please let them like him, please let them like him,' the words repeated themselves over and over in Usagi's mind as she, Mamoru and Kage walked closer and closer to her parents' home. It felt odd going back home where she lived for seventeen years, since she had moved into her own apartment shortly after graduating from high school and working part time at Crown--at Motoki's insistence, of course. It was overwhelming sometimes, but she enjoyed every minute of it. Her parents, on the other hand, weren't exactly happy about her claiming her independence so soon, but they grudgingly let her go.

Usagi often went back to visit them, but rarely brought anyone with her. It wasn't so much that she didn't have a lot of friends, she just didn't like subjecting them to her parents' questioning. By the time the night was over, Mama and Papa knew more about her friends that Usagi did. No wonder she had to beg profusely for them to come with her a second time.

Usagi took Mamoru's hand and held it tightly against her own, mostly for her own reassurance that everything would go all right tonight. Suddenly, another thought came to her. "Mamoru-kun, I nearly forgot. Papa's allergic to dogs, so Kage will have to stay outside. Will that be a problem?"

Mamoru stopped walking to think about it, Kage obediently sitting down by his side. "Well, I'm not sure, Usa-chan. He goes where I go, he's practically my eyes, you know."

"I know, but I don't know what else to do." Usagi's eyes suddenly brightened. "If you like, you can hold my hand and I'll guide you around."

A sly smile appeared on Mamoru's lips. "Hmm. I think I could get used to that," kissing her softly on the cheek. Usagi blushed at his act of tenderness, something he had only recently started doing.

"You're blushing, aren't you?"

Her eyes widened. "How could you tell?"

The back of Mamoru's hand brushed across her cheek lightly. "I can feel the warmth around your face and neck. I take that to mean you like it when I kiss you?"

"Yes," she replied shyly. "It takes some getting used to, though. You're the first one who's ever done it."

"Oh, Usa. Somehow I find that very hard to believe."

----------

At around 8:00 that evening, Tsukino Kenji and Tsukino Ikuko met their daughter and her guest at the door. "Usagi-chan, we've missed you. Bring in your friend, and introduce him to us." Mamoru turned back momentarily, and commanded Kage to lie down on the grass just outside the door. The golden retriever promptly obeyed his master, let out a yawn, and laid his head down on his paws.

Turning back to Usagi's direction, he followed her in, slipped off his shoes next to hers, and awkwardly bowed towards direction where he heard the voices coming from. "It is a honor and a pleasure to meet you, Tsukino-san. Usagi-chan is a very good and dear friend to me."

There was silence for a moment as Kenji analyzed the man standing so close to his daughter, then he cleared his throat and proceeded to lead Usagi and Mamoru into the dining room. Usagi took hold of Mamoru's hand behind her and slowly led the way for him, just as she had promised. But neither she nor Mamoru knew just what she was leading them into.

Ikuko glanced at her husband warily, and Kenji returned the look. Slowly, Ikuko made her way over to her daughter's seat, and cleared her throat slightly to get Usagi's attention. Usagi looked up from her conversation with Mamoru into her mother's expressionless face. "Yes, mama? What is it?"

Her mother looked away momentarily. "Usagi-chan... your father and I would like to speak to you in the kitchen--alone." Usagi raised an eyebrow at her mother's odd request and looked over in Mamoru's direction. "You don't mind, do you Mamoru-kun? I'll only be a minute."

He took her hand that was still resting on the table and patted it gently. "Go right ahead. I won't go anywhere," he replied with a grin.

As soon as the three of them entered the kitchen, Ikuko immediately closed the door between the two rooms. Kenji didn't waste any time getting to the matter at hand. He leaned up against the counter and faced his daughter. "Usagi... your mother and I don't think you should be seeing Chiba-san."

Usagi's mouth dropped. "What do you mean? How can you say something like that when you don't even know him?"

"We've been watching him carefully since he's been here. The dark glasses, his dog outside, you leading him around by the hand. We're not fools, Usagi-chan. He's blind, isn't he?"

Usagi studied the tile floor for a moment, then looked back up into the eyes of her parents. She had been expecting this, but hoped it wouldn't happen. "What of it?"

Kenji nearly exploded with anger but managed to keep his voice down to a whisper. "What of it? Is that all you can say? What about all the things you like to do, Usagi? All the movies you go to with your other friends, he can't do that. He's going to feel left out, and you're going to be the one to give up your friends and your time for him. How can you expect to be the one to give him the special care that he needs? You haven't the first clue how to take care of someone like him."

She continued to gape at her parents, but said nothing. She couldn't. Her mouth just wouldn't move, for fear that she might say something she would regret. How could they? They taught her to treat everyone she ever met with equal fairness, and now they were going back on their teachings and asking her to stay away from Mamoru? She realized she needed him just as much as he needed her. And that was something her parents had to accept.

Usagi stood there in silence, trying not to let her temper get the best of her. She never had an outburst with her parents, but this was something she could no longer stand. Straightening herself slowly, she looked into her parents' faces. "I don't think you're being very fair to Mamoru-kun. He has been all alone since he was seven years old, and I think he has done a wonderful job of taking care of himself. I won't have to 'take care' of him, as you say, because he is more than capable of doing that himself. His blindness is something he has learned to cope with, much as I have learned to deal with my own faults. It's a part of his life. He is a wonderful man inside, but you have not even tried to get to know him."

She stared at the two people she had looked up to for most of her life, a different perspective of them shining in her eyes now. "I hate to say this, Mama, Papa, but it is you who are the blind ones. Blind to the truth." With those words, Usagi pushed past her astounded parents, opened the door and calmly walked out the kitchen.

Mamoru sat quietly at the table, his uneasiness growing by the minute. What was taking Usagi so long? He only caught snatches of the muted conversation, but had no clue to what it was all about. He drummed his fingers on the tabletop, hoping Usagi would reappear soon and their evening would return to normal.

Suddenly he heard the door off to his right swing open. "Usagi-chan, you all right?" he spoke up softly.

She replied quietly, "There's been a change of plans, Mamoru-kun. We're going back to my apartment." She came over to his side of the table, and helped him up, Mamoru wondering the entire time just what had exactly gone on behind that closed door. Oh well, he knew Usagi would tell him when she was good and ready.

The two of them slipped on their shoes at the front entrance, and Usagi pulled open the door. Kage jumped to his feet, and ran to greet his master and friend. Mamoru turned to Usagi as she pulled the door closed behind her. "Aren't your parents going to say goodbye to you?"

There was silence again, then she softly replied, "No," and said nothing more for the rest of the walk back to her apartment.

---------

As soon as the front door to Usagi's small apartment shut behind the couple, Mamoru reached from behind and took hold of her arm before she could take another step, before she could shut herself off from him again. She looked back at him and tried to pull away, but he held on firmly. "Usa... normally I wouldn't ask you such about such a personal thing, but I want to know why you're acting this way."

"What way? I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, trying her best to avoid the question.

Mamoru pulled her close to him, and placed his hand on her waist, his other hand went up and began to stroke her hair slightly. She leaned into the warmth of his hand, her defenses slowly melting away. "Please, Usagi. I know something's bothering you, and I only want to help."

The last of her defenses crumbled, and she fell onto the couch, gentle sobs racking her body. Mamoru sank down next to her and placed an arm around her in comfort. "Oh, Usa. What happened?"

"All my life, I've looked up to them, Mamoru-kun. I always thought that they were right about everything. Tonight they proved me wrong." As she spoke, she instinctively took hold of Mamoru's hand and held it tightly within her own, unsure why she was doing so in the first place. 'It just feels so right,' she reasoned with herself.

Mamoru rubbed the pad of his thumb against the back of her hand, reveling in the feeling of just being next to her. He didn't understand his feelings, nor explain them, but he didn't want to. Not right now. "Usa... I've never seen you like this. What did they say?"

She gulped, unsure of how to tell Mamoru what went on behind the closed kitchen door, but she couldn't keep it from him either. "They always go off about one thing or another, it's just the way they are. But when they started talking badly of you, and how I should stop seeing you, I just couldn't handle it anymore. For the first time in my life, I stood up to my parents. I never thought I could ever do such a thing."

Mamoru was surprised to learn that he had been the subject of the hushed conversation. "Why did you get upset over something about me, Usa? I'm not that important."

Usagi's head immediately turned in his direction, her eyes blazing. "Chiba Mamoru, that's not true and you know it!"

He chuckled deeply. "I love it when you get angry. Reminds me of the first times we met." He kissed her lightly on the nose. "Honestly, Usagi. Why did you defend my honor in front of your parents?"

She shook her head lightly, her eyes sparkling. "I'm not sure either, Mamoru-kun. You're special, different than anyone else I've ever met. And I don't want to lose you."

He stroked the side of her face with the back of his hand. "The same goes for me, Usa. My life has definitely changed since you entered it. No one has ever treated me with such kindness since... well, since Motoki. I don't need my sight to know how special you are. My heart tells me that." Usagi blushed three shades of red at hearing this and turned away.

Moments later, he laughed again. "You blush very easily, don't you, Usako?"

Usagi's eyes widened at his term of endearment; and yet, it sounded so perfect coming from him. Mamoru suddenly realized his blunder and began fumbling for words of apology. "Sorry, Usa-chan, I didn't mean--"

He was silenced by her fingers over his mouth. "No one has ever called me that before. But for you, I will make an exception. I will gladly be your little rabbit, Mamo-chan," she replied softly, using her nickname for him that she had been using secretively for the past couple of weeks.

He let out a sigh of relief and astonishment at the same time. Then, before the feeling left him completely, he slowly leaned over and ever so gently kissed Usagi on the lips, the first time he had ever done so. Though she was startled momentarily, Usagi didn't object one bit. It started out sweet and soft, then it became deeper, reaching into the depth of their two souls and intertwining them into one. Her arms slid up and around Mamoru's neck, bringing him closer still.

Finally, they broke away from the embrace for air. "Now that," Usagi said softly, as she breathed in deeply, "that was definitely a first."

Mamoru traced her facial features with a fingertip, smiling gently down at her. "What does this mean for us, Usa? I know I want to be with you, but do you want to be with me?"

Usagi laid her head on his shoulder, cuddling up next to him. "Absolutely."

----------

Mamoru groaned in complaint. "Are there any more flights of stairs to go up, Usako? I don't think my legs can stand the torture again."

Usagi poked him in the side. "Lucky for you, my little whiner, we're on the third floor. Kenko-sensei's office is just down the hall."


	3. three

Usagi grasped the metal handle on the door and pushed the heavy door open, Mamoru following closely behind her. The receptionist looked up from her stacks of paperwork on her desk, smiling at the two as they walked in and closed the door. 

"Good morning," Usagi said to the receptionist, "I think Kenko-sensei is expecting us." Mamoru and Usagi were acquainted with Minako quite well from the many appointments. She reached into a drawer, and pulled out a thick schedule book. "Oh, you're a few minutes early. Kenko-sensei is busy with some other work, but you can sit down over there," pointing to a row of chairs along the wall, "and he'll come out for you when he's finished."

Usagi nodded politely and led Mamoru over to the chairs, sitting only after she had made sure he was comfortably seated. Sighing softly to herself, Usagi glanced around the rather quiet office. She picked up a dog-eared magazine, but then threw it back down onto the end table because it held no interest for her.

A hand reached for hers, and she turned to look at her husband, who was wearing a curious look on his slightly pale face. "Mamo-chan," she whispered, "are you all right? You're looking kind of pale."

He gulped slowly, then nodded. "Just a little nervous, I suppose."

At that moment, the wooden door adjoining the two rooms creaked open, and Dr. Kenko walked into the waiting area with an armful of folders. Usagi stood and cleared her throat to get the doctor's attention, and Dr. Kenko whirled around in surprise to find Mamoru standing up next to Usagi as well. "Oh, Mamoru-san, Usagi-san, sorry, I didn't see you there. You're early as usual, Mamoru-san. Both of you, come right in and sit down," Dr. Kenko replied as he picked up Mamoru's file from Minako's desk and followed the two back into the other room.

"I'm glad you could come on such short notice, Mamoru-san." He bowed respectfully in Usagi's direction. "Mamoru-san talks about you every time he comes here. I was hoping you would accompany him; it makes this easier for me to explain."

With Usagi's help, Mamoru sat down in one of the upholstered chairs. His smile disappeared slowly, trying to understand the doctor's ramblings. "Explain what, Kenko-sensei? You just confuse me even more with every word you say."

Dr. Kenko shook his head, and smiled at them. "With the recent news going around here as well as down at the hospital, it's a wonder that I'm not confused myself. I've been going through your files lately, and found a few things that interested me. I know I've probably asked you this once or twice before, but would you mind telling me again? After the accident, did your vision disappear instantly, or was it more gradual?"

Mamoru scrunched up his face in thought, trying to remember all those years ago. "Well, the first thing I remember after waking up was that my vision was always hazy. Nothing I did made it better, and none of the doctors at the hospital or later at the orphanage were able help me either. After they enrolled me at the public school, it seemed to get worse..."

----

"So, you're the new kid. They told us all about you," the older boy taunted seven year old Mamoru, standing in the shadows of the school building, confronting him during lunch break. "They said you can't remember nothing," he laughed again, suddenly grabbing Mamoru's school case from his clutches. The bully waved it in front of him, and the older boys started teasing and poking fun at him. Mamoru lunged for his case, but with his receding eyesight, he missed terribly and tumbled to the ground.

More laughter ensued, and Mamoru did his best to hold the painful tears back. A tear escaped, and this did not go unnoticed by the teasing children. "Aww, look. The baby's gonna cry on us! Boo-hoo little baby, can't get your bag? Well, that's--"

"Leave him alone."

The bully and his cohorts turned around to find another figure standing there, his features shadowed by the morning sunlight. He stepped up to the figure, as if he were trying to challenge him. "And who's gonna make me?"

"I said, leave him alone." He stepped fully into the light, revealing himself. The bully's eyes widened when he saw exactly who it was. Slowly, he stepped backwards, until he was far away enough to take off in the opposite direction, his group of friends following close behind.

Walking over to where seven-year-old Mamoru sat in the dirt trying his hardest to brush the dirt from his school case, the figure extended a hand and smiled. "I'm Furuhata Motoki. The teacher told me you're new around here."

Mamoru looked up into a smiling face. Returning the smile, he reached up for Motoki's hand, and pushed himself up. Motoki grinned. "Have you eaten lunch yet? The rest of my friends have a spot under the big cherry tree where there's plenty of room to sit. You can join us, if you want."

The seven year old replied with a grin and followed Motoki to the large cherry tree in the middle of the school yard.

----

"Motoki-kun was the first real friend I ever made. He didn't even care that I had lost my memory, or that my eyes weren't as good as his. It was about three months later when the rest of my vision disappeared altogether." His head dropped and a single tear rolled down his cheek as he finished speaking. Usagi leaned over and gently brushed the tear away, knowing how hard it was for him to remember the painful memories.

Dr. Kenko looked to Usagi now, giving Mamoru some time to regain his composure. "I don't think I've ever asked you this Usagi-san, but how did you and Mamoru-san meet exactly?"

She smiled softly. "It was really by chance, or maybe an accident. Or at least, Kage can be quite a matchmaker," she giggled. With a soft fondness, Usagi gazed at Mamoru, nothing but pure and unselfish love for him shining in her eyes. "But whatever the reason, I know it was meant to be. I need Mamo-chan as much as he needs me," and with this, she leaned over and gently kissed his cheek, finally winning a small smile from him.

Dr. Kenko leaned back against his large wooden desk, a small smile of satisfaction resting upon his lips. "Well, I'm sure both of you are wondering by now what all this is about. It's simple in a way, really. Mamoru-san, I have reason to believe that your sight can be brought back. Granted, there are still many risks involved, but my staff and I feel confident that this new procedure is on its way to becoming the most updated technology in the medical field. I thought of you immediately." He shifted from his position in front of the desk and moved to sit in the high backed chair behind it. "The chances of you losing everything completely is less than half."

Both Mamoru's and Usagi's jaws dropped open in shock and surprise. Of all the things they could have expected Kenko-sensei to discuss with them, something like this had never been an option. A miracle, a blessing, even a dream come true, were the words that had come from the doctor's mouth. But there was just one problem standing in the way of their dreams.

"We couldn't possibly afford it," Usagi replied sadly to the doctor, voicing both of their thoughts. Mamoru groped for his wife's hand and held it tightly, nodding in agreement.

Dr. Kenko glanced at the couple in front of his desk, and a small smile appeared on his face. "Like I said, this is a voluntary thing, and if you agree, all medical expenses will be covered."

Two mouths dropped open again at this revelation, and Kenko-sensei chuckled deeply. "I thought that would get your attention. You are my first choice for this operation, Mamoru-san. I won't pressure you into any decision right now, but I would like to know within the week if you'd want to go through with it." Dr. Kenko motioned towards the door. "Just let Minako-san know, and I'll take care of the rest." He showed Mamoru and Usagi out the door, letting them battle their emotions in silence.

---------

Later that night, Mamoru turned over in the bed and opened his eyes, though the darkness still remained. Even the slightest sound caught his attention--the lack of one sense heightened the ability of the others--and he then realized the noise was right beside him.

His little rabbit was crying. He hated to hear her cry, no matter what reason she had. All he ever wanted was to make her happy, because if she wasn't, he couldn't be either.

He slid a hand onto her shoulder, and instantly he felt Usagi turn and latch onto his arm, like a small child might cling to a blanket or stuffed animal for security. Mamoru stroked her soft hair, holding her close. "Usako," he murmured gently, "what's the matter?"

Through her sniffles and sobs, she quietly replied, "I was just thinking, Mamo-chan, about this operation. Even the doctor seems kind of doubtful about it. What if it works? What if it doesn't?"

Mamoru sighed. He'd been having his own doubts, and adding Usagi's to them only heightened the hesitation. "Usa, if we were to base our lives on 'what ifs', we'd drive ourselves mad. We have a lot to think about, and this is a decision we both have to make. All I want is your happiness, you know that. I can touch your face, and imagine what it looks like, you can describe to me what a sunrise looks like, and I can try to imagine that too, but with this opportunity we've been given, maybe I won't have to imagine anymore." He kissed her gently to reassure her.

Usagi bit her lip, thankful for once that Mamoru couldn't see her expression. This was what she feared the most. Would his feelings towards her be any different if he could see her? She had never really considered herself to be very pretty, and she believed the way her life had been before her marriage was all the proof she needed.

Mamoru came along at just the right time in her life, just when she was needing someone to respect her for who she was, all her faults and bad habits, not for looks alone. He had given her hope, and her self-esteem soared. She in turn was able to look past his physical disability and love him all the more for it.

Now she was scared that if the operation did work and he saw her, he wouldn't feel the same about her anymore. Would looks be as important to him as it was to everyone else? Her life wouldn't be worth anything if she didn't have Mamoru's love to guide her.

----------

Dipping her hands once more into the warm soapy water in the sink, Usagi cleared the remains of their dinner. Mamoru sat on the couch, fiddling with one of the throw pillows. He wanted to help her, but they both knew from past experience involving several broken dishes that it was better to just let her do it on her own.

While he waited for her to finish in the small kitchen, Mamoru's thoughts began to wander again, mainly from what the doctor had said the previous day. "Usako..." he mumbled, just loud enough for her to hear.

Usagi shook off some of the soap, and continued to scrub the dishes. "What is it, Mamo-chan?" she replied absently, her attention focused on removing the sticky rice from the plate.

"I know you've been thinking about this as much as I have, but I almost feel as if this could be coming between us. Do you ever... well, do you ever regret that you married me?"

Startled by his question, the plate slipped from Usagi's hands and hit the bottom of the sink with a clank. Her hands shook slightly as she grabbed the nearest dish towel, drying her hands quickly. Crossing swiftly from the kitchen to the living room, she paid no attention to the hot tears rolling down her cheeks. In a fierce whisper, she replied, "Chiba Mamoru, where did you ever get an idea like that?"

She took his face into both her hands, and turned him to face her. "Listen to me, Mamo-chan. I never once regretted meeting you, or falling in love with you. You are the best thing that could ever happened to me. I know we have our struggles, but I'm willing to go beyond that if you are. This is just another one of those trials we have to face. I love you, Mamo-chan, and I always will." She fingered the ring on her right hand. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about all the trouble you went through to buy me this gorgeous ring. Motoki-kun told me the story when I couldn't get it out of you."

Mamoru blushed slightly as he remembered the night that he proposed to Usagi...

----

Mamoru fumbled with the words that he was trying to say. "Usako... I know I'm not exactly what you could ever have in mind, but I... I can't ever picture a life without you in it. I don't want to, actually..."

Usagi slowly knelt down on the floor next to where Mamoru was sitting on the sofa, tears brimming in her eyes. "Mamo-chan... what exactly are you trying to say?"

Scrubbing a few stray tears from his own eyes, Mamoru slowly pulled the small black box from his pocket, hidden from Usagi's view. "Usako... I know I'm far from perfect, and hardly what you would imagine as a worthy husband, but I've fallen in love with you. I would be deeply grateful if you would do me the honor of becoming my wife." Shyly, he brought the box from behind him to Usagi's gaze and opened it. There lay the sparkling ring Motoki helped him pick out earlier that week.

Usagi gasped softly, and with shaking hands took the little box and laid it in her palm, staring at it in silence. She got off her knees and sat next to Mamoru on the sofa. Looking up into the face of the man that she loved, she replied with a teary voice, "Mamo-chan... how... it's beautiful... but me? I've dreamed of this moment all my life, but I never thought anyone would ever want me the way you do."

His hand gently came up, and softly caressed the side of her face. "Usako... you mean everything to me. I know I'm probably not what you want, but I promise you now, I'll do everything in my power to make you happy."

Usagi's tears continued to fall freely as she listened to Mamoru's declaration of love. Lunging at him, she enveloped him in a tight embrace, which he quickly returned. "You're wrong, you know. You're everything that I could ever ask for, and so much more."

Snuggling up against him, Usagi leaned over, and with a final whisper into his ear she murmured, "I want nothing more than to be with you, to wake up beside you each morning, to eat breakfast along side of you each day, without having to say goodbye to you each evening. Mamo-chan, with all my heart, I will be your wife."

----

"Mamo-chan," Usagi stuttered slowly, "there's... something else that I haven't told you. Maybe that's why I haven't exactly seemed myself lately."

He held her tightly within his embrace. "What is it, Usako?"

She bit her lip again, trying to force the tears to remain where they were, but it was too late. One by one, they slipped down her cheeks, and Mamoru felt them land on his arm. "Usako, you all right?"

She nodded, reaching up to dry her face. "Mamo-chan... in a couple of months, you're going to be a papa."

Without warning, he bolted upright from the couch, still holding Usagi in his arms. A hand came up and stroked her hair. "You're serious?" he asked in a husky whisper. Usagi choked back her sobs and nodded silently. Now the tears started to fall from Mamoru's eyes. He began smothering Usagi in kisses, holding her closer.

"How long have you known?" he asked between kisses. He was so excited now, it was all he could do to keep from yelling out loud in joy.

Trying her hardest to stop giggling, Usagi replied, "About two months."

Suddenly Mamoru stopped playing around, becoming serious. "This settles it, Usako. I have to have that operation now. I want to see our child in seven months. I want to be able to look down upon your smiling face and see our beautiful baby. Don't you agree?"

There was no way around it. Doubts or no doubts, Usagi knew it deep down. Mamoru was right. She kissed him softly on the lips. "All right, Mamo-chan. We'll call Kenko-sensei tomorrow."


	4. four

The next few days were all a blur to Usagi. Dr. Kenko wanted Mamoru in the hospital the night before the operation so they could monitor him for every little thing. Usagi followed silently behind them throughout everything, only once leaving his room that evening to talk things over with the doctor. She heard him mention something under his breath to one of the nurses, and it concerned her. As soon as they were out in the hallway, she pulled the doctor aside. "Kenko-sensei, just how serious are the consequences? Please, I need to know." 

Dr. Kenko glanced at Usagi, sighing deeply as they walked back out to the waiting room. "Well, I wasn't going to tell you everything, what with your condition and all."

Usagi's eyes widened. "What do you mean by 'everything'?"

He sighed again. "In these types of cases, Usagi, it's not the actual operation that is so risky, although there are chances the operation may not work at all. What we are worried about are the consequences after the operation is over. It's been sixteen years since your husband has had use of his eyes. He's grown accustomed to his world, and to throw him back into the world of sight like we are about to do worries us the most. The effect of regaining his sight is something large enough to throw him into shock, maybe even cause permanent damage to the way Mamoru-san functions now."

"So you're saying that this whole operation could be enough to throw him into a deep shock and possibly even kill him?" Usagi hoped her inhibitions were wrong.

Dr. Kenko's brows furrowed and he placed a hand on Usagi's shoulder. "This operation has been performed over in the States a few times before, and as far as we know, they've never documented a case like that. I hate to say it, but I wouldn't rule out any possibilities until the operation is over and we're absolutely sure." The doctor looked sympathetically at her. "I suggest you get some rest, Usagi-san. We'll call you if anything comes up."

----------

That night, Usagi couldn't sleep a wink. It was hard enough to sleep without Mamoru by her side to comfort her, but to think that he was alone in that hospital room, awaiting an operation that would decide his fate forever was too much for her to bear.

Gathering the thin jacket around her shivering figure, she laid quietly in the dark, slowly breathing in and out, trying to psyche herself out of the fear she felt within. Being alone caused her thoughts to start wandering again, and soon she was drifting off into a dream world unlike she had ever known...

...holding a small, chubby hand in her own, she guided the happy child to the large doors of the elementary school, a pride welling up within her soul that this child, her own flesh and blood was growing up so well.

As Usagi transferred the little hand into that of the cheerful teacher, she waved goodbye with a smile, and left with the sincere promise that she would return later in the day.

Standing outside the entrance of the school, a sudden lurch in her heart made Usagi falter. Someone else should have been standing next to her on this day. He should have been here, watching his child enter school for the first time. And yet, he wasn't. Because of one simple and naive wish that they had both wanted so badly, he could never be.

Not in this life...

Usagi shot up from the couch, sweat matting her hair to her face and neck. A pain shot through her, and her hand stole down to her stomach, where she thought she felt something, not sure if it was the baby or her own queasiness. "Our baby..." she whispered. "I couldn't bear to lose Mamo-chan. Not now, not when I need him so much." Her mind made up, Usagi jumped from the lumpy couch in the waiting room and ran down the hallway to Mamoru's room.

Clutching her light jacket together, Usagi pleaded with the nurse in desperation. "Please, Mizuno-sensei, you just have to let me see him, I have to talk with him, before tomorrow." The nurse was about to protest again, but she saw the amount of pleading in Usagi's eyes and couldn't do it. She knew that if someone forbade her to see her husband that she wouldn't stand for it. She sighed in agreement. "All right, Usagi-san, but you can't keep him up all night. Mamoru-san has to be well rested for tomorrow." Usagi nodded mutely and walked down the stark and dreadfully silent hallway to Mamoru's room.

Usagi glanced into the room that was lit only by the dim light from the hallway. She hated to wake him from the peaceful sleep he appeared to be in. "Mamo-chan?" she whispered softly, loud enough to get his attention if he happened to be awake, but softly enough not to bother him if he wasn't.

Sure enough, he was awake, but just barely. "Usako?" he called out groggily, turning his head in the direction of the doorway. "Are you all right? What time is it? How did you get past the nurse?" he replied with a chuckle.

Sighing in relief, Usagi rushed into the room and sat down at Mamoru's bedside. Taking his hand in hers, she clasped it tightly in hers, and sat there in silence, her emotions preventing her from saying anything more. Mamoru realized that something more was bothering his wife.

He sat up in the bed and leaned forward to prop a pillow behind him. His other hand came up and grazed the side of Usagi's face softly. "Usako, you okay? There's something you aren't telling me."

She sighed in defeat, knowing that she couldn't keep any of it hidden for long. "Mamo-chan, I'm so worried," Usagi whispered, holding her husband's hand gently between her own. "About you, about us, about the baby..." She proceeded to tell him the details of her dream.

Usagi felt so humbled by this strong man, who went with courage in a difficult situation. He was trying to comfort her, while he himself needed to be comforted. "Mamo-chan, if something happens, I'd..." Usagi didn't know what else to say to comfort him. She loved him so very much. He was her other half. Now she knew why she had felt the way she did in the days before she met him. Usagi needed Mamoru to show her the beauty of life in other ways, while she was his helping hand in a world that often shunned him for the way he was.

Bringing a hand up, Mamoru caressed her face gently, and rested his hand on her cheek. "Oh, Usako. We knew what could happen when we said yes to this whole thing. I promise I will be there every step of the way for you and for our child." She kissed his hand gently, then bent over to kiss him more fully on the lips, before he drifted off into sleep again. "Mamo-chan. I love you more than my own life." Taking his hand in hers, she brought it to rest on her belly. "And our baby will be so proud of you, too. You'll be able to tell him everything you went through, and he'll look at you with such love in his eyes."

Mamoru nodded quietly, fading off into sleep quickly. Usagi kissed him on the forehead, then pulled up the sheet to cover his sleeping figure. Without another word, she sat down in the hard plastic chair in the corner of the shadowed room, all of her thoughts still consuming her as she drifted off to sleep again.

----------

Peeking through the thin cotton curtains in the hospital room, the rising sun shone into Usagi's eyes, waking her from an uncomfortable sleep. She rubbed her sore neck to rid it of the crick that remained from sleeping in the hard chair.

Looking about the room, she noticed that the nurses had just left the room, taking Mamoru with them. Jumping out of the chair in shock, Usagi winced slightly as her body adjusted to its suddenly different position. Shaking off the feeling, she sprinted out of the room, and ran smack into Dr. Kenko.

"I'm sorry, Kenko-sensei, but I have to talk to Mamo-chan before he goes in..."

The doctor looked down at Usagi's disheveled figure and shook his head. "He's already been put under the sedative, Usagi-san. You'll have to wait with the rest of us." Dr. Kenko placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "Just pray that all will go as planned, and that will be enough." With that, he turned and followed the others down the hall, leaving Usagi alone.

----------

A soft hand on her arm jolted Usagi out of the light sleep she had fallen into. Glancing up, she looked into two familiar faces and a smile crept onto her lips, the first in many days. "Mama, Papa? What are you doing here?" Usagi sat up and swung her legs around so they could sit down.

"Dr. Kenko called us a few hours ago. Said he was worried that you were waiting alone," Ikuko replied, brushing a stray hair from Usagi's face. "What is going on, Usagi-chan? We haven't spoken to you in a week or two, so you can imagine our shock when the doctor told us you and Mamoru were down here at the hospital."

Usagi realized that it had been a while since she and her parents last spoke. Even with her marriage to Mamoru four years ago, the Tsukinos were still a little distant in their attitude, but they had become much more lenient to Mamoru and finally welcomed him into the family with some reluctance. From the occasional times Usagi and Mamoru visited, Kenji and Ikuko could see they had been wrong about their first assumptions of Mamoru. Kenji even learned to like Kage, though his allergies would increase ten-fold when they brought him along.

Her face crumpled. "Oh, Mama, Papa, I'm so scared. The doctor said that everything will be fine, but my mind keeps wandering, and all these 'what ifs' keep appearing in my head." She proceeded to relate the rest of the story to her parents.

"And when I told him about the baby, that cinched the whole thing--" Usagi's mouth clamped shut when she saw their eyes widen. She had forgotten to mention that detail to them in her whole explanation. Well, nothing like the present... "Mama, Papa, you're going to have a grandchild in a few months." She gave them her biggest smile while tears rolled down her cheeks.

However, the Tsukinos didn't look too pleased. "Usagi, how can you think of bringing a child into this kind of situation? It's one thing to have to take care of Mamoru, but a baby is a completely different story!" Usagi groaned inwardly as her parents droned on and on about the responsibility of caring for a baby. They hadn't changed and they probably never would. But this was not what she wanted to hear right now. Enough was enough.

Standing up and taking a deep breath, Usagi replied, "Mama, Papa, we've had this talk before, but I guess you weren't listening the first time. I love Mamoru, and he loves me. We are our own family now, and we plan to welcome this baby into our lives with open arms. I respect your opinions, but you cannot tell me what to do with my life any longer."

Kenji and Ikuko were stunned by her outburst. "I can't believe you, Usagi-chan," Ikuko replied bitterly, "you never acted like this at home. You must have learned to act this way from Mamoru-san."

Usagi shook her head immediately. "It's just the other way around, Mama. He showed me it was easier to stand up for myself than to let the whole world trod all over me. And that's what you're doing. By saying these things, you're taking away the happiness that Mamoru and I struggled to create for ourselves." She shuddered from all the emotions she was trying so hard to hold in. "Mama, Papa, just love us. Please."

She couldn't take it anymore. The only thing she wanted at the moment was to be held in Mamoru's arms, with a promise that he would never let go. Usagi leaned over, her body racking with sobs as she held onto that thought, praying her heart out that all would go well.

----------

The Tsukinos had left a few hours before, and Usagi still couldn't believe that she had blown up in their faces the way she did. But perhaps it had been for the best. By telling them what she felt, they knew that she was capable of taking care of herself and Mamoru, something they had failed to see so many times before. Tired out from all the emotional stress, she lay down and fell asleep again, nothing else for her to do anyway. It helped pass the time until she saw Mamoru again.

"Usagi-san?" A deep voice brought Usagi out of her sleep again. She had grown accustomed to drifting in and out of her sleep the past few nights anyway, so this was nothing new. She cracked an eye open and found Dr. Kenko staring down at her. "Usagi-san," he replied again, "he's out of surgery."

Emotions flooded through her, relief and elation lighting up her face. "When can I see him?"

The doctor chuckled. "He's not back in his room yet, but as soon as the heavy sedative wears off, they'll be moving him back. You'll be able to see him then."

Usagi jumped up and hugged the doctor, thanking him profusely. Startled by her sudden action, Dr. Kenko laughed and said, "Don't thank me just yet, Usagi-san. That will come when we remove the bandages."

She stepped away, blushing from her impulsive actions. "Thank you, Kenko-sensei, for taking such good care of my husband. He trusts you so much, and so do I."

He nodded. "I'll let you know when you can go in."

----------

Usagi sat in the dimly lit corner of the hospital room wringing her hands nervously, squirming on the hard plastic seat in anticipation. The shadows began to play tricks on her, most likely from lack of sleep. Her eyes darted around the stark white room, and finally came to rest on Mamoru's form lying peacefully in the bed.

Throughout the day and long into the night, she sat had there, mostly in silence-not daring to close her eyes to rest, for fear that she might miss the moment Mamoru first woke up. She knew that the doctor wouldn't remove the bandages from his eyes for another day or so, but she wasn't about to leave his side in the mean time.

Deep down, she still feared what Mamoru's first reaction would be at his first glance of her--provided the operation was really successful. Even now, the doubts wouldn't stop coming. Though he had reassured her time and time again he loved her for who she was, she knew it was based on everything but sight. She was so sure of her love for him, and it would be an enormous heartbreak if she were to ever lose his affection.

As Dr. Kenko slowly peeled the top layer of gauze away from his eyes, Mamoru tried to sense the overhead light shining through his eyelids and layers of gauze, but he could not yet open his eyes. For the first time since he was seven years old, Chiba Mamoru might have the chance to see again. And though there were hundreds of thousands of things he could look at, nothing excited him more than being able to see the face of his wife, his little bunny, for the first time.

"Where's Usako?" he mumbled groggily, the anesthetic still having an effect on him. "I want to see my wife." He wanted everything to turn out in his favor. He tried sitting up, but Kenko-sensei gently pushed him back down onto the bed.

"Mamoru-san, you can't strain yourself so soon after you've come out of the operation. I won't be removing any more of the bandages for another day or two. We have to give your eyes time to adjust. Lay back down and rest, and I'll have Mizuno-san bring your wife back in. She's been here all night and all day, the poor thing. The nurse finally had to take her back out to the waiting room, she was so exhausted."

Mamoru reluctantly laid back down on the bed, waiting impatiently for the moment when he could lay eyes on the world and his wife.

----------

Passing a hand over her tired eyes, Usagi was just starting to feel the effects of her sleeplessness from the last few days. With a hand on her back to keep her walking straight, Ami guided Usagi to Mamoru's room. All signs of sleepiness suddenly disappeared from Usagi's face as soon as they reached the opened door. She rushed to where Mamoru was sitting in the hard plastic chair in the corner, Dr. Kenko at his side, readying himself to remove the remainder of the bandages.

The doctor glanced in Usagi's direction with a kind smile. "Usagi-san, will you pull the blinds closed? The less light we have in here, the easier it will be on Mamoru when I remove the remaining gauze." She nodded and immediately pulled the drapes shut, shrouding the room in semi-darkness, but just enough light for the doctor to see what he was doing.

Reaching for his hand, Usagi sat in the other chair and scooted closer to Mamoru, sending him all her strength and support. He grasped her hand tightly, just as anxious--if not more--for what was about to happen.

The doctor then began to unwrap the last of the gauze holding the thicker gauze to his eyes. "I'm going to take the bandages off now, Mamoru-san. There's not much light in here, but I would advise you not to open them too quickly." Dr. Kenko peeled the thick cotton pads away from Mamoru's eyes at that moment, and Usagi squeezed his hand so tightly to the point that it almost hurt her to keep holding on.

It had never taken Mamoru so much of his strength to open his eyes. Still swollen from yesterday's operation, he struggled to lift his eyelids. Slowly, ever so slowly, his eyes opened and he was introduced to something entirely different. "Wow..." he murmured. The blackness that had been his world for the last seventeen years began to give way to a whole new feeling, one that he had not experienced since he was seven years old.

His eyes began to gain their strength, and soon they were halfway open. Dr. Kenko broke the silence by asking the first question. "How do you feel, Mamoru-san?"

"Good question. How am I supposed to feel?" he replied plainly. Everything was just a mass of blurred shapes and things he knew of, but couldn't describe. He turned towards where Usagi was sitting, and all he could make out was a small blurry shape with different shades sitting somewhere in front of him. "Usako? Do I look any different to you?"

"Still as handsome as ever, Mamo-chan. Your eyes are still the same wonderful color of blue that they always were," she remarked with a grin. Standing up from her chair, Usagi leaned over and kissed him soundly on the cheek. He held her there and tilted her chin so he could kiss her back.

"Sorry, Usako, but you're just one big blur to me at the moment," he chuckled.

Taking his face into her hands, she gazed at Mamoru fondly. "But the important thing is you can see, hmm?"

Mamoru nodded. "I think so, if this is what you call sight."

Dr. Kenko broke into their conversation at that moment. "I'd like Mamoru-san to stay here for one more night for observation, then he's free to go home with you, Usagi-san."

"Then I'm staying too," she finished quickly, seeing the doctor was about to object. He realized no one should mess with Usagi, especially where Mamoru was involved.

----------

Finally, Mamoru was released from the hospital, and Usagi gladly took him home. It was like a baby learning to walk; Mamoru had to re-learn his way around the apartment, bumping into things that he had always been able to walk around with ease, and so on. Even though his sight was very slowly and remarkably returning, it was still very blurred and not much of a help to him just yet. Other than that, Mamoru had little trouble adjusting to the new effects. Even the doctor remarked that it was incredible the way that he handled everything.

It was hard to believe that only a few days had gone by since everything happened. Though she no longer stressed over what the results of the operation could have been, the level of stress had increased enormously. Thankfully, Usagi's morning sickness was not as bad as it could have been. With all this added stress, it was a miracle that she got through the day without having to rush to the bathroom more than two or three times.

Naturally, Mamoru was worried about her with the condition she was in, but there was little he could do to help her. He wished with all his might that the haziness would go away, so he could assist her like a normal husband should. Usagi reassured him time and time again that he wasn't in the way, but Mamoru felt otherwise.

It was a quiet afternoon, nearly three weeks since the operation, and Usagi was dozing on the couch while Mamoru rested in the other room. As she fell into a deep sleep, she briefly wondered what their life would be like after the baby came. With a yawn, her eyes slowly closed, and she quickly dozed off.

At the same time Usagi was falling asleep out in the living room, Mamoru was just waking up in the bedroom, feeling slightly uncomfortable without Usagi next to him. It had been torture for him to be in the hospital and not be able to cuddle up next to his wife, but now he was finally home, and things would soon be back to normal. Mamoru still couldn't make things out clearly, but anything was better than the darkness before. All he wanted now, more than anything, was to see Usagi.

Sitting up on the bed and stretching, Mamoru glanced around the room and suddenly noticed something different. The haziness was gone, completely gone. Every object in the room was crystal clear and full of color. Turning sharply to his left, he shielded his eyes from the light as he looked to the window and watched as a small bird perched on the sill, noting that he could see the shape of it perfectly from where he sat on the bed.

It was beyond incredible. Mamoru wanted to cry out in joy, but didn't want to scare Usagi in the other room. He wanted to surprise her with this instead. Getting up from the queen-sized bed, he padded softly to the door and grasped the handle, astounded that he could see the details of the object so clearly.

As he glanced in the direction of the kitchen, out of the corner of his eye he saw a golden ponytail hanging over the arm of the couch. Mamoru moved closer to investigate, and as he glanced over the back of the couch, he came face to face with a peacefully slumbering Usagi.

Moving slowly to the front of the couch, Mamoru stared in awe at his wife, tears springing to his eyes. How could he have been so fortunate? Kneeling down to her level, Mamoru scrubbed the tears away from his face as he continued to gaze upon Usagi, no words coming to his mind to describe what he saw before him. Her hand rested upon the slight swell of her stomach from the pregnancy, which only enhanced her beauty.

Cracking an eye open, Usagi looked around bleary-eyed, and was startled to find Mamoru sitting in front of her. Both eyes open now, she sat up in shock. "Mamo-chan? How did you get there? Did you trip over something?" Glancing closer at Mamoru, Usagi gasped. "Why are you crying?"

His hand came up and stroked the side of her face gently. "Why didn't you ever tell me how beautiful you are, Usako? All this time, I had no idea that I had my very own guardian angel."

Now tears were flowing from Usagi's eyes. "You mean... you can see? Everything?"

Taking her hand in his, Mamoru brought it up to his lips and kissed it. "Everything from the dimple in your left cheek to the unbuttoned top of your shirt," he replied with a smile.

Usagi threw herself into Mamoru's arms, and he held her in a tight embrace. "Oh, Mamo-chan, I can't believe it! I never thought this day would come." Then she backed away, still slightly worried he wouldn't like what he saw.

"What's that look for?"

"What look?"

His thumb came up and wiped away a stray tear from her cheek. "The look that's on your face right now."

Usagi was still a little puzzled. "The look that's on my face now? Well, at first it was a worried look, but now it's a happy look."

Mamoru got off his knees, and sat down on the couch, pulling Usagi into his lap. "I'm not sure I understand. Why was it a worried look before?"

Usagi bit her lip, realizing that she had to let her secret out. She leaned her head against his chest, looking up into his face. "Because I've always wondered what your reaction would be if and when you could see me. I thought you wouldn't like what you saw."

Chuckling, Mamoru tightened his embrace around his wife and kissed her on the cheek again. "Usako, how could you ever believe that? You are the most beautiful person that I've ever laid eyes on. But I didn't fall in love with your looks, you know. First it was your voice that mesmerized me, then your laughter, and most of all, your touch. I would go crazy if I could never touch you again. Seeing you all at once has only enhanced my love for you. Believe me, Usako, if that's all you had, I'd still love you the same." He finished by kissing her soundly on the lips.

Usagi clung onto Mamoru, putting full force into their kiss. It was just like their first kiss had been; taking them to an entirely different level, strengthening their love even more than before. Breaking away only for a moment, Usagi whispered fiercely, "Thank you, Mamo-chan. Thank you so much."


	5. epilogue

Seven months later, the two of them walked hand in hand around the lake, enjoying the approaching evening. Well, it was more of a waddle than a walk in Usagi's case, considering how close she was to the end of her pregnancy. 

During the last seven months, their roles dramatically reversed. With Mamoru nearly recovered from his operation, it was now his turn to assume all the duties that Usagi took care of before while her pregnancy progressed.

Usagi closed her eyes and felt the warm summer breeze flow over her as they strolled along the stone path, remembering how wonderful it was to have Mamoru fuss over her so much, even if he did tend to overreact on occasion.

Glancing over in her direction, Mamoru stopped, a concerned look crossing his features. He drew her close to him, whispering, "Usako, are you all right?"

Opening her eyes slowly, Usagi smiled lovingly at Mamoru, and slipped her arms around his neck, stopping only when her round tummy got in the way. "I'm just fine. A little tired, but that's normal."

Mamoru spotted a nearby bench, led Usagi to it, and gently helped her to sit down. Sitting down next to her, he remarked, "Maybe we should go home now. You need to rest."

Placing a hand on his arm, Usagi shook her head. "The fresh air makes me feel better. I--" She gasped as a sharp pain shot through the lower half of her body. She bent over and breathed in and out slowly.

Feeling her grip tighten on his arm, Mamoru glanced worriedly at his wife. "Usako? What is it? What's the matter?"

Through clenched teeth, she replied, "Slight change of plans, Mamo-chan. What's the quickest way to the hospital?"

----------

Counting the speckled black and white tiles, Mamoru paced up and down in the waiting room in the maternity ward, anxiously awaiting any bit of news.

"Mamoru-san?" A low voice brought his head up, and he found himself face to face with Kenji and Ikuko. Mamoru stared at them momentarily, realizing this was the first time he had actually seen Usagi's parents. He was not disappointed. Usagi had gotten her beautiful eyes from her mother, and by the looks of it, he was sure she had the same strong-willed nature as her father.

Mamoru shook himself out of his trance. "I'm glad you could come so quickly. The doctor says it shouldn't be much longer, but that's all I've heard so far." He turned to look down the hallway. "I can't wait," he whispered anxiously.

Kenji couldn't hold in his opinion any longer. "How do you expect to support a family with your condition, Mamoru-san? Usagi will have to stay home now and take care of the baby, and there's no way-"

Holding up a hand, Mamoru interrupted him. "I'm sorry, Tsukino-san, but I have no condition. The operation seven months ago took care of all that. And I do have a job now, a well-paying one as a matter of fact. I knew that I would be supporting Usako and the baby, so I prepared early on. Usako and I are extremely happy. We just wish you would share that happiness."

Mamoru continued, his voice gentle and his manner calm. "I know you feel like I took your daughter away from you and turned her against you, but I didn't. I just helped her to become the person that she is now. This is a huge stepping stone for us, and we may need your help along the way. Please don't shut us out any longer."

The three of them stood in the middle of the waiting room in an uncomfortable silence, then Ikuko stepped closer to Mamoru and took his hand in hers. "Thank you, Mamoru-san," she replied softly, winning a stern look from her husband and one of shock from Mamoru. Thank you for helping our Usagi to grow up." She squeezed his hand in gratitude, thrown off guard when Mamoru scooped her up into a warm embrace.

"Chiba-san?" The doctor stood in the middle of the hallway, obviously embarrassed to break the mood. "The delivery went well. Usagi-san's tired, but she's asking for you."

Mamoru let go of Ikuko, quickly following the doctor down to Usagi's room. He stopped and stood in the doorway, gazing upon his beautiful angel. Her eyes were closed, her blonde hair matted down and her face still shiny with sweat. She opened her eyes slightly when she heard someone enter the room.

Her face broke into a loving smile when she saw him. "Mamo-chan..." she mumbled groggily, reaching for his hand. He took it in his, leaned down and tenderly kissed her. Usagi gingerly turned to her side, and pointed to the tiny bassinet at the side of her bed. "Come see your son, Mamo-chan. He looks just like you."

Mamoru's eyes widened, and they brimmed with tears. "I have a son?" He walked briskly around to the other side of the bed, where the tiny infant lay, gazing at his new surroundings before drifting off to sleep again. Usagi slowly sat up in the bed and nudged Mamoru. "The doctor says he weighs eight pounds."

Not taking his eyes off his son for one moment, he bent over and delicately picked the baby up in his arms, careful not to wake him. He lightly touched the tiny fingers and toes, and marveled at the soft downy black hair that covered his head.

Usagi smiled at the scene before her and asked softly, "Are you happy, Mamo-chan?"

He looked down at his wife with loving eyes, and then turned back to his son. "Yes, Usako," he murmured gently, "more than you could ever imagine."

From the hallway, Kenji and Ikuko looked on in silence. The two of them walked back to the waiting room, satisfied the love Usagi and Mamoru had for each other would always be more than enough.


End file.
